The pair sat down on the Long Island set ofThe Wizto talk about this star-studded trip to Oz.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Lets go back toPeter Pan Live!.Looking back what are your thoughts on it?
NEIL MERON:Our goal with doing these live musicals is to try something different with every iteration.
Credit: NBC
So we tried to distinguishPeter Panfrom the presentation we had withSound of Music.
So we really cant take any sort of criticism very seriously.
Its whether or not we were proud of the work we did and what we took away from it.
We were proud of the presentation and we were proud of everyones work.
We didnt know that then.
We couldnt have known it but we thought its a great story and its a classic.
But we sure learned as didseveral other people with their own Peter Pansthat it really was not welcome.
What weve learned is we wanted to do something that was cooler and hipper and contemporary.
And something that hada lotof stars.
You debated between doingThe WizorThe Music Manright?
Again, as we were discussing a lot of it is so star-dependent.
Unless you had the correct star theres no point in going forward withThe Music Man.
What we discovered on our discovery to doThe Wizis how beloved this was by the African-American community.
She said when Stephanie Mills sang Home she decided she wanted to be a performer.
So she said her career took shape that night in the theater.
When we were staging the Oscars with Common, he said, What are you doing next?
We said were doingThe Wizand he like, freaked out.
He said, You dont know what that movie meant to me.
This will also lead to a new Broadway revival ofThe Wiz, right?
ZADAN:It serves almost as a commercial in a way.
It almost works the way whenChicagowas on Broadway, it was tapering off.
We came out with our movie and they went to capacity.
Now all these years later its still running.
The movie was a commercial for the show.
Does the fact that theres a Broadway production put more pressure on this performance?
Then, in success, the Broadway show is the beneficiary of what weve done.
Were doing our show.
Its a great sign of progress that a major web link is doing an all-black musical.
So on TV its a landmark television musical.
Did you always think of Queen Latifah to play The Wiz?
MERON:No it was [director] Kenny Leons idea.
It really makes this iteration ofThe Wizits own too, having Latifah play the Wiz.
Theres no reason in the world that the Wiz cant be a woman.
You cast a newcomer, Shanice Williams, as Dorothy.
Why choose an unknown?
Shanice has this undeniable charisma.
Its hard to explain what a star is they kinda tell you.
ZADAN:Every single person in that audition would have to sing Home.
A lot of them could sing 3 quarters of it.
Then when they got to the last part of the song when it goes higher, people just crumbled.
She came in and she hit the notes.
She was one of the few who got through the entire song, effortlessly hitting those notes.
Will she hopefully do the stage version?
MERON:That is the plan.
Is there a timetable for if the stage show?
MERON:Yeah, its a year from now.
About a year from now.
Do you know what the next musical would be?
We havent locked into anything.
Bob Greenblatt and Craig and I have batted around some ideas.
ZADAN:Its very hard to come up with the next one.
Will you pay attention to social media the night of the show?
MERON:Oh sure.
I dont take it seriously.
The haters are gonna hate.
And if theyre writing, theyre watching!
You would normally be in the midst planning the Oscars while doing this.
Is not producing the Oscars this year helpful?
MERON:Its fantastic.
Whats going on with theSmashmusical,Bombshell?
MERON:Were currently putting together the creative team.
So once this airs, well be jumping in onBombshell.
You cant do two huge things at the same time.
it’s possible for you to but youll also have a nervous breakdown.
